Expedition Report

The Expedition 4 officially began with
undocking of Space Shuttle
STS-108 on
December 15, 2001 at 17:28:00
UTC and Expedition
3 ended.

A new International Space Station crew, the fourth flight
of an Italian-built Multipurpose Logistics Module and a spacewalk to
install thermal blankets over two pieces of equipment at the bases of the space
station's solar wings were major elements of the STS-108 (ISS-12-UF1) flight of
Endeavour. The
Italian Multipurpose Logistics Module named Raffaello made its second visit to
the space station. It first flew aboard
Endeavour on
STS-100 in April
2001. It was one of three virtually identical modules that served as
pressurized moving vans, bringing equipment and supplies to the space station.
A sister module named Leonardo has visited the station twice, on
STS-102 in March
2001 and on STS-105 in August 2001. STS-108 docked on
December 07, 2001 with the International Space Station.The hatches were
opened between Endeavour and the
ISSDestiny
Laboratory at 22:42
UTC December 07, 2001, enabling the ten crew members
to greet one another.

On flight day 4 Raffaello was lifted out of
Endeavour's
payload bay and attached directly to the station's
Unity
node for the unloading of its cargo, which consisted of the contents of eight
resupply stowage racks and four resupply stowage platforms. Much of the
material was transferred to the station's U.S. laboratory
Destiny.The
three Expedition Four crewmembers installed their Individual Equipment Liner
Kits in the
Soyuz capsule docked to the station, thus becoming
members of the station crew. The Expedition
3 crew officially ended their 117-day residency on board the International
Space Station December 08, 2001 as their custom
Soyuz seat-liners were transferred to
Endeavour for the
return trip home. The transfer of the Expedition 4 seat-liners to the
Soyuz return vehicle attached to the station marked
the official exchange of crews.Yuri
Onufriyenko, Carl
Walz
and Daniel
Bursch became as fourth expedition the new resident crew of
the
ISS.
ISSthird
expedition crew with Frank
Culbertson, Mikhail
Tyurin and Vladimir
Dezhurov returned to Earth with his mission.

The
only EVA was performed by Linda
Godwin and Daniel
Tani
on December 10, 2001 (4h 12m) to install insulation on mechanisms that rotate
the International Space Station's main solar arrays. The two spacewalkers
stopped at a stowage bin to retrieve a cover that had been removed from a
station antenna during an earlier flight, and after its return to Earth, may be
reused. Linda
Godwin and Daniel
Tani
also performed a "get-ahead", task, positioning two switches on the station's
exterior to be installed on a future shuttle mission,
STS-110.Two
blankets were installed, one on the mechanism that rotates the port side solar
array wing, technically labeled the 4B array, and another on the mechanism that
rotates the starboard side solar array wing, labeled the 2B array. The blankets
are designed to moderate the extremes of heat and cold that the mechanisms
experience in space, safeguarding their future operation. Linda
Godwin and Daniel
Tani
carried the blankets out of the airlock with them, each carrying one up to the
work site, located at the top of the station's
P6
truss, about five stories above the station's modules.After they had left
the shuttle airlock, positioned each blanket for translation and gathered tools
stowed in Endeavour's bay, Linda
Godwin and Daniel
Tani
attached tethers to the end of the shuttle's robotic arm. As they held on, Mark
Kelly
maneuvered the arm to lift the spacewalkers to a point part way up the
five-story truss structure, as high as the shuttle arm is able to reach. At
that point, Linda
Godwin and Daniel
Tani
left the arm and climbed the rest of the way up to the top of the truss to the
starboard and port rotating mechanisms, called Beta Gimbal Assemblies.The
two spacewalkers worked together to install each custom-designed blanket,
turning the first on portside mechanism. Daniel
Tani
was carrying the port blanket and began to unpack it, first attaching straps
that will anchor it to handrails. Then, Daniel
Tani
began unrolling the blanket, wrapping around the barrel-shaped mechanism,
passing it underneath the assembly and handed the blanket off to Linda
Godwin.Linda
Godwin continued to wrap the blanket around the mechanism and
handed it back over the assembly to Daniel
Tani,
where it was secured to its starting edge using Velcro straps to tighten it in
place. A hood unfurled as the blanket was unrolled that was positioned to
insulate connectors attached to the mechanism.The spacewalkers then
repositioned themselves and repeated the procedure to install the blanket
carried by Linda
Godwin around the starboard mechanism. Then, crewmembers
turned their attention to several miscellaneous "get-ahead"
tasks.

Mission managers extended
Endeavour's
flight to a duration of 12 days to allow
Endeavour's crew
to assist with additional maintenance tasks on the station, including work on a
treadmill and replacing a failed compressor in one of the air conditioners in
the
Zvezda
Service Module.

The crew unpacked three tons of supplies brought from
Earth in the Raffaello cargo module. The transferred items included more than
850 pounds (386 kg) of food, 1,000 pounds (454 kg) of clothing and other crew
provisions, 300 pounds (136 kg) of experiments and associated equipment, 800
pounds (363 kg) of spacewalking gear, and 600 pounds (272 kg) of medical
equipment. The module contained two tons of unneeded equipment, food
containers, clothes and other cargo, when returned home. In addition to the
new crew and the Multipurpose Logistics Module, the shuttle also brought to the
ISS in its cargo bay the Lightweight Mission Peculiar
Support Structure Carrier with four Get Away Special (GAS) experiments. Another cargo-bay payload was the
Multiple Application Customized Hitchhiker-1 (MACH-1), situated between
Endeavour's
airlock and Raffaello.On flight day 9 Raffaello was unberthed from the
space station and returned to
Endeavour's cargo
bay. Station and shuttle crewmembers reviewed undocking procedures.Before
leaving the
ISS the altitude of the station was raised to fly well
clear of an old Russian rocket body.

On December 15, 2001
Endeavour backed
away from the
ISS to a distance of about 450 feet (137.2 meters),
where Mark Kelly began a close fly around of the station, circling the
complex 1 ¼ times. Mark
Kelly
passed directly above the station, then behind, then underneath, then in front
and then reached a point directly above it for a second time. At that point,
passing above the station for a second time, Mark
Kelly
fired Endeavour's
jets to separate the vicinity of the station.

The first station
EVA by Yuri
Onufriyenko and Carl
Walz
occurred on January 14, 2002 (6h 03m) to move a Strela cargo crane and install
an amateur radio antenna.Yuri
Onufriyenko and Carl
Walz
relocated the cargo boom for the Russian Strela crane. They moved the boom from
Pressurized
Mating Adapter 1 to the exterior of the
Pirs
Docking Compartment. The crew also installed an amateur radio antenna onto the
end of the
Zvezda
Service Module. The space walk was based out of the
Pirs
Airlock and used Russian Orlan space suits.

The second
EVA was performed by Yuri
Onufriyenko and Daniel
Bursch on January 25, 2002 (5h 59m) to install six thruster
deflectors at the rear of the
Zvezda
Service Module, retrieving and replacing a device to measure material from the
thrusters and installing a ham radio antenna and its cabling.

The
third and final
EVA by Carl
Walz
and Daniel
Bursch occurred on February 20, 2002 (5h 47m) to perform
housekeeping chores and gather tools to prepare for the next station assembly
mission, which will deliver the central section of the outpost's
backbone.This spacewalk was based out of the
Quest
Airlock, using U.S. spacesuits. Carl
Walz
and Daniel
Bursch tested the airlock and prepared for the four
spacewalks that were to be performed during
STS-110 in April
2002.

Progress M1-8 was launched at 20:13:39
UTC on March 21, 2002. The spacecraft docked with the
Aft port of the
Zvezda
module at 20:57:56
UTC on March 24, 2002.
Progress M1-8 carried supplies to the International
Space Station, including food, water and oxygen for the crew and equipment for
conducting scientific research. It remained docked for three months before
undocking at 08:26:30
UTC on June 25, 2002 to make way for
Progress M-46. It was deorbited at 11:35:00
UTC on the same day. The spacecraft burned up in the
atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean, with any remaining debris landing in the
ocean at around 12:26:52
UTC.

STS-110 arrived
on April 10, 2002 at the International Space Station.The main purpose of
STS-110 (ISS-13-8A Integrated Truss Structure
S0,
Mobile Transporter) was to attach the
S0
Truss segment to the International Space Station (ISS) to the
Destiny
Laboratory Module. It forms the backbone of the station to which the
S1
and
P1
truss segments were attached (on the following missions
STS-112 and
STS-113,
respectively). During four spacewalks, astronauts truly took on the appearance
of high-rise construction workers as they assembled beams, attached work
lights, bolted girders and plugged in electrical connections. The station's
Canadarm2
robotic arm was used exclusively to hoist the 13-ton truss section, called the
S-Zero (S0)
Integrated Truss Structure, from
Atlantis and
attach it to the station. Nine additional truss segments were linked on future
missions to the centerpiece segment carried by
Atlantis to form
the finished structure. The finished truss will support almost an acre of solar
panels and giant cooling radiators. Although the International Space Station
already is a fully functional research complex with a single United States
laboratory, the additional solar panels and radiators will provide the
electricity and cooling necessary for Japanese and European laboratories to be
attached to the station as well as a future U.S. centrifuge
laboratory.

The Starboard 0 (S-Zero or
S0)
truss segment was delivered to the orbiting outpost on
STS-110 (ISS Assembly Flight 8A). Power and data cables and the
thermal control system that provides heating and cooling wind through the
44-foot (13.4 meters) by 15-foot (4.6 meters), 27,000-pound (12,247 kg) truss
segment to carry energy and information to and from the station's extremities
where solar panels collect electrical energy used to power experiments,
computers, life support systems and other services.The Integrated Truss
Segment (ITS)
S0
provides the capability to attach the four Photovoltaic Module truss segments
to increase the
ISS power production capacity. The
S0
truss is launched with a complement of pre-integrated hardware to increase
ISS functionality including the Mobile Transporter (MT), the Trailing Umbilical System (TUS), the Portable
Work Platform, four Global Positioning System (GPS) antennas, two rate gyros, an Extravehicular
Charged Particle Detection System (EVCPDS), and umbilicals for U.S. on-orbit
elements. Mission 8A also delivered four Main Bus Switching Units (MBSUs), two
Circuit Interrupt Devices, three Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) lights and the Airlock Spur.The
S0
is the center segment of 11 integrated trusses that provide the foundation for
station subsystem hardware installation, utility distribution, power
generation, heat rejection and external payload accommodations. The
S0
truss acts as the junction from which external utilities are routed to the
pressurized modules by means of
EVA-deployed umbilicals. These utilities include
power, data, video and Active Thermal Control System ammonia. The
S0
truss provides a mounting point for electronic equipment such as the MBSUs,
four of the DC-to-DC Converter Units (DDCUs), and four Secondary Power
Distribution Assemblies. As mentioned, also mounted on
S0
are the space station's four
GPS antennas and two Rate Gyros.The
S0
truss will connect to its neighboring truss segments (S1
and
P1)
by means of the Segment-to-Segment Attachment System, which consists of a
remotely operated capture latch and four motorized bolt assemblies. Structural
attachment to the U.S. lab is accomplished through the Module-to-Truss
Structure, which consists of 10
EVA-deployed telescoping struts.The
S0
structure has an elongated hexagonal cross section with five bays arrayed along
the long axis. Although
S0
has a large complement of pre-integrated equipment on its structure, the frame
is open enough to allow
EVA
operations within the spaces of the bays. The numbered faces of
S0
make identification of worksites easier for
EVA
crews translating around the truss segment. These faces are numbered
sequentially counterclockwise from the forward nadir face to the aft nadir
face.

Just as trains carried supplies to the Old West frontier, the
Mobile Transporter (MT) became the first railroad in space on the
International Space Station (ISS) during
STS-110.The
1,950-pound (884.5 kg) structure travel along the rails of the Integrated Truss
Structure (ITS) and, together with the Mobile Base System, will
provide the work platform for the Canadian-built mechanical arm (also known as
the Space Station Remote Manipulator System or
Canadarm2).
Strong and powerful, the high-strength aluminum transporter provides the
mobility to relocate the
Canadarm2
to 10 pre-designated space station worksites and helps deploy segments of the
ITS with its payload capacity of 46,100 pounds (20,911
kg). The
MT will lock itself down to the rails to move the
massive payloads.Built for performance, the transporter measures 108 inches
(274 centimeters) long, 103 inches (262 centimeters) wide and 38 inches (97
centimeters). It travels on a three-point suspension system: the Linear Drive
Unit, which drives and supports the
MT, and the two Roller Suspension Units, which provide
additional support as the
MT travels down the
ITS rails.

Less than two hours after docking,
the hatches between the shuttle and station were opened and the crews of
STS-110 and
Expedition Four greeted one another. The remainder of the day was spent
transferring supplies and equipment, including two crystal growth experiments,
between the two spacecraft as well as a joint review by the two crews of plans
for installation of the
S0
truss and the first spacewalk. Ellen
Ochoa
and Daniel
Bursch powered up the station's robotic arm and maneuvered it
through a practice run, going through the same motions that will be required to
install the truss to the station. The station arm was left overnight in a
position near the fixture it latched onto to lift the truss out of
Atlantis' payload
bay.

Ellen
Ochoa
and Daniel
Bursch worked together aboard the station to use the
complex's
Canadarm2
to lift the the 43.3-foot (13.2 meters), 27,830-pound (12,624 kg)
S0
truss segment from Atlantis' cargo bay and attached it atop the station's
Destiny
laboratory. Stephen
Frick operated the shuttle's robotic arm aboard
Atlantis to use
views from television cameras on that arm to assist Ellen
Ochoa
and Daniel
Bursch. Once in place, the crew inside commanded the capture
latch to close. This was done to make the truss stable enough for attitude
control and the small loads the spacewalkers will induce.

The first
EVA was performed by Steven
Smith and Rex
Walheim on April 11, 2002 (7h 48m), installing the (S-Zero)
truss segment.Their first task was releasing starboard and port forward
Module-to-Truss Structure (MTS) strut clamshell fasteners. Using a standard
EVA
power tool, they had to undo a total of eight bolts, four on each side,
beginning on the starboard side. Then they released four launch restraint
bolts, two on each side, from footplates.That allowed the V-shaped
structures to rotate downward. Steven
Smith and Rex
Walheim installed four bolts through each footplate, securing
the structures to the lab. Then each clamshell fastener was tightened to
rigidize the struts.By releasing two bolts, Steven
Smith deployed the Aft Lab Avionics Tray, which contained
power, data and fluid umbilicals that were connected to the lab, node and
Z1.
He mated the avionics connectors only (not the fluid connectors) to the lab and
Z1.
He paused from that task periodically to help Rex
Walheim, who was simultaneously installing and mating the Lab
Forward Avionics Umbilicals on the starboard and then port side. Steven
Smith removed the port drag link and entered the truss to
install two Circuit Interrupt Devices (circuit breakers). That done, he again
teamed up with Rex
Walheim to install the Zenith Trailing Umbilical System
Cable.

On flight day 5 the crews turned their attention to continuing
the transfer of supplies, equipment and experiments between the station and
shuttle. Nitrogen and oxygen was transferred from tanks aboard
Atlantis to
replenish tanks on the station's
Quest
airlock. All crewmembers also had time set aside for a group review of plans
for the upcoming second and third spacewalks. The crewmembers had a couple of
hours of off-duty time at the end of the day.

The second
spacewalk by Jerry
Ross
und Lee Morin occurred on April 13, 2002 (7h 30m) to mate two large
tripod legs of the truss to the
Destiny
Laboratory.After leaving the airlock and standard setup activities, the
first task of Jerry
Ross
and Lee Morin during their spacewalk was to install the aft MTS
struts, first the starboard and then the port. The aft strut groups are
tripods, with three adjustable struts meeting at a common footplate that
attaches to the lab structure. Jerry
Ross
and Lee Morin worked together to deploy the struts, with Lee
Morin
on
Canadarm2
near
S0
and Jerry Ross at the lab receiving the "point" of the tripod.Each
strut has two clamshell fasteners that must be released (for a total of 12
fasteners), and each strut group has five launch restraint bolts that must be
released. Six bolts attach each aft MTS strut group to the lab's aft endcone
and five bolts attach each strut group to
S0.
This task was somewhat more difficult than other tasks because of the size of
the strut groups and the specialized procedure required to torque down the
bolts. Then each clamshell fastener was tightened to rigidize the
struts.With the completion of the strut attachments,
S0
was attached rigidly to the
ISS, and was able to support its design loads,
including the solar arrays that were on the ends of the truss at assembly
complete.Jerry
Ross,
later joined by Lee
Morin,
moved on to remove and stow drag links, large metal rods used to support the
S0
truss during launch. They were stowed on the truss' exterior. Jerry
Ross
also removed a thermal cover from the truss and brought it into the
airlock.Next both Jerry
Ross
and Lee Morin moved on to mate the Trailing Umbilical System 2 nadir
cable to the Mobile Transporter. Launched on the
S0
Truss, the Mobile Transporter serves as an installation point for
Canadarm2's
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Base System, launched on
STS-111.Finally, the spacewalkers removed the truss' keel
pin assemblies. Like the drag links, they were attached to the truss for
long-term stowage.

The third
EVA was again performed by Steven
Smith and Rex
Walheim on April 14, 2002 (6h 27m). They rewired the
Canadarm2
and readied the complex's newly-delivered rail-car (Mobile Transporter) to
move.The first task of the third spacewalk after Steven
Smith and Rex
Walheim left the airlock and completed setup, was release of
the Lab Cradle Claw atop
Destiny
by Rex Walheim and the installation of the J300 Panel Connectors by
Steven Smith. The claw initially held the
S0
truss to
Destiny's
Lab Cradle Assembly.The J300 Connectors and subsequent reconfiguration of
the J400 Power Data and Grapple Fixture (PDGF) Connectors by Steven
Smith will route power, data, and video through the
S0
truss for later operation of
Canadarm2
from the
MSS Base System after
STS-111.Steven
Smith and Rex
Walheim then turned their attention to the Mobile
Transporter, spending about 45 minutes releasing its many launch restraints and
removing a small thermal cover from a radiator on the Mobile Transporter. Then
they continued work on the J400 reconfiguration for another hour and a
half.After transferring tools from the shuttle to the station's exterior
and transferring other tools on the station exterior, the spacewalkers
depressed three sensors on the starboard side of
S0
to test them for future mating of the
S1
truss. The last task of the spacewalk was to install the Airlock Spur. The spur
is a beam almost 14 feet (4.3 meters) long and fitted with handrails. The spur
will help spacewalkers move more efficiently from the
Quest
airlock to the forward side of the
S0
Truss and the
Destiny
laboratory.

The Mobile Transporter railcar was commanded to move for the
first time on the eighth day of the mission. A checkout of the space railway
commanded the transporter to roll up and down its 43-foot-long rails.
Television cameras on Atlantis' robotic arm were used to record the transporter
checkout. Interior cargo continued to be transferred during the day and
preparations were made for the fourth and final spacewalk. The crew also had
about a half-day off duty to rest.

The fourth and final
EVA by Jerry
Ross
and Lee Morin was conducted on April 16, 2002 (6h 37m), installing a
ladder, testing electrical switches for upcoming truss expansion and attaching
external light and equipment to be used in future assembly work.Tasks of
the flight's final spacewalk began with release of Lab Cradle Assembly guide
cones, used to guide the
S0
Truss onto the assembly, by Lee
Morin
and installation by Jerry
Ross
of a light on the
Unity
node to help future spacewalkers and robotics operators.Those tasks
complete, both spacewalkers spent the next 30 minutes partially assembling a
portable work platform, which will aid future spacewalkers in maintenance
activities. They depressed three sensors on the port side of the
S0
truss to test them for future installation operations of the
P1
truss segment. Jerry
Ross
then installed a second light on
Destiny.While
Jerry Ross did the 45-minute light installation, Lee
Morin
deployed the Extravehicular Charged Particle Directional Spectrometer. That
instrument measures and characterizes the radiation environment outside the
station for documenting crew exposure. It also can provide almost instant
information on exposure rates during unexpected radiation events.Lee
Morin's
next task was to deploy the
Node
1 Swing Arm. Only the beam was deployed on this mission. Its three
umbilical connectors from the
S0
truss aft to the
Unity
Node's endcone were deployed on a later flight. After the beam was deployed,
the crew's outfitting of the
S0
truss was complete. Jerry
Ross,
meanwhile, was using that hour to install Mobile Transporter Energy Absorbers,
port and starboard, to provide a barrier and attach point between the Mobile
Transporter and future hand-propelled carts that will be used by
spacewalkers.Other tasks on this spacewalk included installation of
handrails on the
S0
truss, removal of a thermal blanket from
S0,
and tool relocations in preparation for the next flight's spacewalkers.
Additionally, Lee
Morin
performed a checkout of a Trace Gas Analyzer that is designed to detect minute
amounts of gas in the environment of space.

On April 17, 2002
Atlantis backed
away from the
ISS to a distance of about 450 feet (137.2 meters),
where Stephen
Frick began a close, 90-minute flyaround of the station,
circling it 1 ¼ times.
Atlantis moved
directly over the station, then behind it, underneath it, and back in front of
the
ISS, where the flyaround began. The last
quarter-circle brought the shuttle directly above the station. There Stephen
Frick fired
Atlantis's jets
to move away from the station.

Soyuz TM-34
carried the third taxi crew to the
ISS. Following a two day solo flight
Soyuz TM-34
docked to the
ISS on April 27, 2002 and common work with Expedition
4 was performed. The
ISS' escape craft (Soyuz TM-33) was
replaced; Soyuz
TM-34 served as a new lifeboat.Mark
Shuttleworth from South Africa became the second space
tourist. He was in better condition than Dennis
Tito
before and carried out a small research program (studying ocean life and
biological experiments to combat AIDS and other diseases).On May 05, 2001
the taxi crew undocked in the
Soyuz TM-33
spacecraft and landed a few hours in Kazakhstan.

ADVANCED
ASTROCULTURE provides a completely enclosed, environmentally
controlled plant growth chamber. It requires no power during shuttle ascent and
descent. Before the flight, scientists plant seeds in a root tray using a dry
rooting material called Arcillite, a type of crushed clay. The seed tray is
then attached to the ADVANCED ASTROCULTURE growth chamber. Reservoirs in
the growth unit are loaded with water and nutrient solutions that plants need
to live while aboard the
ISS. The equipment is configured as two single middeck
lockers that insert separately into a space station EXPRESS Rack. One locker
contains the support systems. The other contains the plant growth chamber and
ancillary hardware. This arrangement allows the support system to remain on
board, while the shuttle transports plant growth units to and from the station
with different experiments.

Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) -
ARIS
ISS Characterization Experiment (ARIS ICE): Even
in the virtually gravity-free environment of the International Space Station,
tiny potential vibrations or disturbances - such as those caused by crew
exercise - can upset the delicate balance of sensitive science experiments. The
Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) acts as a vibration absorber to help
isolate them. By acting as a buffer between the experiment and these
vibrations, ARIS protects delicate experiments housed in EXPRESS Rack No. 2
from outside influences that could potentially affect research results. The
EXPRESS Rack, which stands for EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the
Space Station, is a standardized payload rack system that transports, stores
and supports experiments aboard the space station. A related experiment to the
ARIS system, the ARIS
ISS Characterization Experiment (ARIS ICE), is a
separate payload created to characterize ARIS' on-orbit performance. In
addition to generating controlled disruptions on and off the rack, ARIS ICE
will enable real-time monitoring of the on-orbit vibration isolation
capabilities of various ARIS configurations.

The objective of the
Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System (CBOSS) is to provide a controlled environment for
the cultivation of cells into healthy, three-dimensional tissues that retain
the form and function of natural, living tissue.
CBOSS will enable investigations on normal and
cancerous mammalian cells, including ovarian and colon cancer cells, neural
precursor and human renal cells. The system is comprised of the Biotechnology
Specimen Temperature Controller, the Biotechnology Refrigerator, the Gas Supply
Module and the Biotechnology Cell Science Stowage. The crew will periodically
record scientific data, add fresh media to the tissue culture modules and
process samples for return to Earth. The crew also will perform preventative
maintenance.

Using photographs taken from space, the Crew Earth
Observations (CEO) experiment provides people on Earth with data
needed to better understand our planet. The photographs - taken by crewmembers
using handheld cameras - record observable Earth surface changes over a period
of time, as well as more fleeting events such as storms, floods, fires and
volcanic eruptions.

The goal of the research conducted in the
Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA) payload is to develop
commercial uses of the unique microgravity environment for the field of life
sciences. The CGBA hardware is able to support many standard biological
laboratory techniques that have been adapted to operate in space. The
experiments are designed to further our understanding of how gravity influences
various biophysical and biochemical actions. Applications of this knowledge are
geared toward creating or improving various biologically derived products, as
well as enhancing the processes used to create them.

The Commercial
Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) payload consists of 1,008 individual
experiments in the High Density Protein Crystal Growth Assembly. This assembly
will be stored in a Commercial Refrigerator Incubator Module for temperature
control. The payload will be transferred to the International Space Station and
the experiments will be activated. The crystal growth experiments, which
require minimal crew interaction, will continue through the duration of the
mission. The High Density Protein Crystal Growth System represents a major
increase in capacity over the Center's previous crystal growth hardware, which
contained only 128 individual experiments.

EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge
Acquired by Middle school students) is a
NASA-sponsored educational program that enables
students to photograph and examine the Earth from the vantage point of the
International Space Station. EarthKAM is operated by the University of
California, San Diego and
NASA field centers. Using a digital camera mounted at
the optical quality window in the station's
Destiny
lab, EarthKAM students are able to remotely photograph the Earth's coastlines,
mountain ranges and other geographic items of interest from the unique vantage
point of space.

Structural biological experiments conducted in the
Single-locker Thermal Enclosure System (STES) may provide a basis for
understanding the function of important macromolecules and possibly contribute
to the development of new macromolecules. The scope of biological
macromolecules includes proteins, polysaccharides and other carbohydrates,
lipids and nucleic acids of biological origin, or those expressed in plant,
animal, fungal or bacteria systems. The fundamental goal for growing biological
macromolecular crystals is to determine their structure and the biological
processes in which they are involved. Understanding these structures may impact
the studies of medicine, agriculture, the environment and other biosciences.

Astronauts in
EVA
Radiation Study (EVARM): Monitoring devices have been flown on many space
shuttle missions and Russia's space station
MIR to learn more about how to protect crews from the
effects of radiation. But these devices were not specifically designed to study
radiation dosages encountered during spacewalks. The Astronauts in
EVA
Radiation Study (EVARM) will be the first to measure radiation dosage
encountered by the eyes, internal organs and skin during specific spacewalks
and relate it to the type of activity, location and other factors.

The
EXPRESS Rack is a standardized payload rack system that transports,
stores and supports experiments aboard the International Space Station. EXPRESS
stands for EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the Space Station,
reflecting the fact this system was developed specifically to maximize the
station's research capabilities. The EXPRESS Rack system supports science
payloads (including commercial activities) in several disciplines including
biology, chemistry, physics, ecology and medicine.

The Human Research
Facility, the first rack-sized payload to be installed in the U.S.
Laboratory module of the International Space Station, provides an on-orbit
laboratory that will enable life science researchers to study and evaluate the
physiological, behavioral and chemical changes in human beings induced by space
flight. The Human Research Facility is a rack which provides services and
utilities to experiments and instruments installed within it. These include
electrical power, command and data handling, cooling air and water, pressurized
gases and vacuum.

Effects of Altered Gravity on Spinal Cord
Excitability (H-Reflex): A goal of the H-Reflex experiment is to help
researchers determine if exercise could be made more effective on long space
flights. The experiment measures spinal cord excitability - its ability to
respond to stimuli. Researchers believe that spinal cord excitability decreases
during prolonged space flight. If this proves true, they hypothesize that
in-flight exercise would be less effective and the crews will have to work
harder and longer to achieve any benefit. If spinal cord excitability does
decrease on prolonged flights, researchers may be able to reverse the effect
and lower the amount of exercise now required in space and thus increase
crewmember productivity during the flight.

Crewmember and Crew-Ground
Interactions During
ISS Missions (Interactions): The Interactions
experiment seeks to identify and characterize important interpersonal and
cultural factors that may impact the performance of the crew and ground support
personnel during International space station missions. The study will examine -
as it did in similar experiments on the Russian Space Station
MIR and during Expedition Two - issues involving tension, cohesion and
leadership roles in the crew in orbit and in the ground support crews. The
study will have both the crewmembers and ground control personnel complete a
standard questionnaire.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System
(MAMS) measures accelerations that affect the entire space station,
including experiments inside the laboratory. It fits in a double middeck
locker, in the U.S. laboratory
Destiny
in EXPRESS Rack No.1. During Expedition Three, it was preinstalled in the rack,
which was placed in the laboratory during Expedition Two. At the start of
Expedition Three, MAMS was relocated to
EXPRESS Rack No. 4. The MAMS accelerometer sensor is a spare flight sensor from
the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) program that characterizes
similar accelerations aboard the space shuttle. Unlike SAMS-II, MAMS measures
more subtle accelerations that only affect certain types of experiments, such
as crystal growth. Therefore MAMS will not have to be on all the time. During
early expeditions, MAMS will require a minimum operational period of 48 or 96
hours to characterize the performance of the sensors and collect baseline data.
During later increments, MAMS can be activated for time periods sufficient to
satisfy payload or space station requirements for acceleration
data.

Space Acceleration Measurement System II (SAMS-II) began
operations on
ISS Mission 6A. It measures vibrations that affect
nearby experiments. SAMS-II uses small remote triaxial sensor systems that are
placed directly next to experiments throughout the laboratory module. For
Expedition Two, five sensors were placed
in the EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the Space Station Racks
(EXPRESS) with experiments before launch. As the sensors measure accelerations
electronically, they transmit the measurements to the interim control unit
located in an EXPRESS Rack drawer. SAMS-II is designed to record accelerations
for the lifetime of the space station. As larger, facility-size experiments
fill entire space station racks in the future, the interim control unit will be
replaced with a more sophisticated computer control unit. It will allow
on-board data analysis and direct dissemination of data to the investigators'
telescience centers located at university laboratories and other locations
around the world. Special sensors are being designed to support future
experiments that will be mounted on the exterior of the Space
Station.

The Materials International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) Project is a
NASA Langley Research Center-managed cooperative
endeavor to fly materials and other types of space exposure experiments on the
space station. The objective is to develop early, low-cost, non-intrusive
opportunities to conduct critical space exposure tests of space materials and
components planned for use on future spacecraft.

Physics of Colloids
in Space (PCS): The experiment will focus on the growth and behavior of
three different classes of colloid mixtures of tiny manmade particles of either
polymethyl methacrylate or silica or polystyrene; these will include samples of
binary colloidal crystal alloys, samples of colloidpolymer mixtures and samples
of colloidal gels. Binary colloidal crystal alloys are dispersions of two
different size particles in a stabilizing fluid. Colloid-polymer mixtures are
solutions of mono-disperse particles mixed with a polymer in a stabilizing
fluid, where the phase behavior - solid, liquid and gas - is controlled by the
concentration of the polymer. Colloidal gels include aqueous solutions of
particles, in this case aggregated on-orbit with a salt solution, to form
fractal structures. The structure, stability and equilibrium properties of all
the samples, as well as their structure, dynamics and mechanical properties,
are being studied.

Protein Crystal Growth - Biotechnology Ambient
Generic (PCG-BAG): The fundamental goal for growing biological
macromolecular crystals is to determine their structure and the biological
processes in which they are involved. Scientists select macromolecules,
crystallize them, and analyze the atomic details - often by using X-ray
crystallography. By sending an intense X-ray beam through a crystal, scientists
try to determine the three-dimensional atomic structure of the macromolecule.
Understanding these structures may impact the studies of medicine, agriculture,
the environment and other biosciences.

The Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen
Dewar is a stainless steel and aluminum container assembly, similar to a
thermos bottle, for carrying biological crystallization experiments aboard the
space shuttle to the International Space Station. Approximately 500 plastic
tubes, each containing a specific crystal-growth experiment, can fit inside the
dewar assembly. The primary purpose of these experiments is to grow crystals of
biological macromolecules in the low-gravity environment of space. These
macromolecules include proteins, viruses and nucleic acids.

Protein
Crystal Growth - Single-locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES) Housing the
Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity (PCAM): The STES is an
incubator/refrigerator module that can house different devices for growing
biological crystals in microgravity. Each STES unit houses six Protein
Crystallization Apparatuses for Microgravity (PCAM), which are designed to grow
the actual crystals. The fundamental goal for growing biological macromolecular
crystals is to determine their structure and the biological processes in which
they are involved. Scientists select macromolecules, crystallize them, and
analyze the atomic details to determine the threedimensional atomic structure
of the macromolecule. Understanding these structures may impact the studies of
medicine, agriculture, the environment and other biosciences.

PuFF -
The Effects of
EVA
and Long-Term Exposure to Microgravity on Pulmonary Function: The Pulmonary
Function in Flight (PuFF) experiment focuses on the lung functions of
astronauts both while they are aboard the International Space Station and
following spacewalks. PuFF uses the Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis
Physiology instrument in the Human Research Facility rack, along with a variety
of other equipment. Data is stored in a personal computer located in the HRF
rack and then transmitted to the ground.

Renal Stone Risk During
Space Flight: Assessment and Countermeasure Validation: Exposure to
microgravity results in a number of physiological changes in the human body,
including alterations in kidney function, fluid redistribution, bone loss and
muscle atrophy. Previous data have shown that human exposure to microgravity
increases the risk of kidney stone development during and immediately after
space flight. Potassium citrate, a proven Earth-based therapy to minimize
calcium-containing kidney stone development, will be tested during Expedition
Four as a countermeasure to reduce the risk of kidney stone formation. This
study also will assess the kidney stone-forming potential in humans based on
mission duration, and determine how long after space flight the increased risk
exists.

Sub-Regional Assessment of Bone Loss In The Axial Skeleton In
Long-Term Space Flight: As demonstrated by Skylab and Russian space station
MIR missions, bone loss is an established medical risk
in long-duration space flight. There is little information about the extent to
which lost bone is recovered after space flight. This experiment is designed to
measure bone loss and recovery experienced by crewmembers on the International
Space Station.

Xenon 1: Effects of Microgravity on the Peripheral
Subcutaneous Veno-arteriolor Reflex in Humans: After being in the
microgravity environment of space, the body's ability to regulate blood
pressure while standing is reduced. This is called orthostatic intolerance,
which can severely inhibit the functional capacity of crewmembers during
re-entry and landing. The Xenon 1 study will investigate the mechanism of this
syndrome, specifically the extent to which the blood vessels are active in
maintaining normal blood pressure, laying an important foundation for the
development of treatments for orthostatic intolerance. To study orthostatic
intolerance, a tracer material, 133Xenon, will be injected just below the skin
in the lower leg above the ankle. Arterial blood pressure will then be recorded
continuously to calculate how blood vessels help regulate arterial blood
pressure and prevent orthostatic hypotension, or dizziness when standing. The
rate at which the Xenon is removed from the area by the circulatory system will
also be measured. These measurements will be done on each of the Expedition
Three crewmembers 30 days before their launch and repeated one day after they
return to Earth.

Zeolite Crystal Growth Furnace (ZCG): Zeolites
have a rigid crystalline structure with a network of interconnected tunnels and
cages, similar to a honeycomb. While a sponge needs to be squeezed to release
water, zeolites give up their contents when they are heated or under reduced
pressure. Zeolites have the ability to absorb liquids and gases such as
petroleum or hydrogen but remain as hard as a rock. Zeolites form the backbone
of the chemical processes industry, and virtually all the world's gasoline is
produced or upgraded using zeolites. Industry wants to improve zeolite crystals
so that more gasoline can be produced from a barrel of oil, making the industry
more efficient and reducing America's dependence on foreign oil.

During the stay on board of the
ISS the crew of Expedition 4 carried out the following
scientific experiments:ADF-Otolith (Avian Development Facility -
Development and Function of the Avian Otolith System in Normal Altered Gravity
Environments),ADF-Skeletal (Avian Development Facility - Skeletal
Development in Embryonic Quail),ADVASC (Advanced
Astroculture),Alteino (Space Radiation Effects on the Central Nervous
System),ARIS-ICE (Active Rack Isolation System -
ISS Characterization Experiment),ARISS (Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station),Biotest (Biochemical Status of
Humans in Long Duration Space Flight),BPS (Biomass Production
System),Brados (Acquisition of Data About the Radiological, Electromagnetic
and Different Physical Environments on Board
ISS, and Their Effects on the Safety of the Crew,
Space Equipment and Materials),Cardio-ODNT (Dynamics of the Main Factors of
Cardiac Function, of Central and Regional Circulation in Rest and During the
Influence of Lower Body Negative Pressure),CBOSS-01-02-Renal (Cellular Biotechnology Operations
Support Systems: Human Renal Cortical Cell Differentiation and Hormone
Production),CBOSS-02-Erythropoietin (Cellular Biotechnology
Operations Support Systems: Production of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin by
Mammalian Cells),CBOSS-02-HLT (Cellular Biotechnology Operations
Support Systems: The Effect of Microgravity on the Immune Function of Human
Lymphoid Tissue),CBTM (Commercial Biomedical Testing Module: Effects of
Osteoprotegerin on Bone Maintenance in Microgravity),CCE (Cardiovascular
Responses During Rest and Exercise, and Evaluation of Energy Inputs During
Exercise),CEO (Crew Earth Observations),CGBA-APS (Commercial
Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus - Antibiotic Production in
Space),Chromosome-1 (Chromosomal Aberrations in Blood Lymphocytes of
Astronauts-1),Clinical Nutrition Assessment (Clinical Nutrition Assessment
of
ISS Astronauts, SMO-016E),CPCG-H (Commercial
Protein Crystal Growth - High Density),Diatomeya (Stability of Geographical
Position and Configuration of Borders of Bioproductive Water Zones of the World
Oceans, Observations by Orbition Station Crews),Diurez (Fluid and
Electrolyte Metabolism and Hormonal Regulaltion of Fluid Volume),EarthKAM
(Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students),Education-SA
(Education - South Africa: Demonstration of Mass and Weight of Objects, and
Action of Reactive Forces in Microgravity),Environmental Monitoring
(Environmental Monitoring of the International Space Station),EPO
(Education Payload Operations),ESA-GCF
(European Space Agency - Granada Crystallisation Facility),ESCD (Study of
Embryonic and Stem Cell Development in Microgravity),EVARM (A Study of
Radiation Doses Experienced by Astronauts in
EVA),EXPPCS (EXPRESS Physics of Colloids in
Space),Farma (Characteristics of Pharmacological Responses (absorption,
distribution and elimination of acetominophene) in Long Duration Space
Flight),H-Reflex (Effects of Altered Gravity on Spinal Cord
Excitability),Identifikatsia (Identification of the Sources of Dynamic
Loads on
ISS),Inflight Education Downlinks (International
Space Station Inflight Education Downlinks),Interactions (Crewmember and
Crew-Ground Interaction During International Space Station
Missions),Iskazheniye (Determination and Analysis of Magnetic Interference
on
ISS),ISS Acoustics (International Space Station Acoustic
Measurement Program),Izgib (Effect of Performance of Flight and Science
Activities on the Function of On-Orbit Systems on
ISS (Mathematical Model)),Kolibry (Developmental
Testing of the Kolibry Microsatellite Deployment Profile),Konstructor
(Filming of Space Robot "Jitter" Assembled out of Legos),Kromka
(Verification of the Effectiveness of Devices for the Protection of the
Exterior Surface of
ISS from Contaminants Deposited by Pulsed Cycling of
Liquid-Jet),Latent Virus (Incidence of Latent Virus Shedding During Space
Flight),Meteoroid (Recording Meteoroidal and Technogenic Particles on the
External Surface of the Service Module of the Russian Segment of
ISS),MISSE-1 and 2 (Materials International Space Station
Experiment - 1 and 2),Molniya-SM (Investigation of Lightning Discharges in
the Earth's Atmosphere and Lower Ionosphere),Paradont (Condition of
Peridontal Tissues in Space Flight),PCG-EGN (Protein Crystal
Growth-Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar),PCG-STES-IDQC (Protein Crystal
Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System-Improved Diffraction Quality of
Crystals),PCG-STES-MM (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal
Enclosure System-Synchrotron Based Mosaicity Measurements of Crystal Quality
and Theoretical Modeling),PCG-STES-SA (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker
Thermal Enclosure System-Science and Applications of Facility Hardware for
Protein Crystal Growth),PCG-STES-VEKS (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker
Thermal Enclosure System-Vapor Equilibrium Kinetics Studies),PESTO
(Photosynthesis Experiment and System Testing and
Operation),Plankton-Linza-SA (Characterizing the Effects of Atmospheric,
Hydrophysical and Geological Factors on Biological Productivity of Oceanic
Waters Surrounding The Republic of South Africa),Platan (Search for Low
Energy Heavy Particles of Solar and Galactic Origin),Privyazka (Development
of High Precision Orientation of Scientific Devices in Space with Reports of
Deformation of the
ISS Hull),Profilaktika (Mechanisms of Action and
Influence, and Effectiveness of Various Methods of Phrophylaxis Directed Toward
Prevention of Disturbances of the Human Locomotion System in
Weightlessness),Prognoz (Development of a Method of Operational Prediction
of Work Load on Crew Piloting Objectives),PuFF (The Effects of
EVA
and Long-Term Exposure to Microgravity on Pulmonary Function),Relaksatia
(Processes of Relaxation in the Ultraviolet Band Spectrum by High Velocity
Interaction of Exhaust Products on
ISS),Renal_Stone (Renal Stone Risk During
Spaceflight: Assessment and Countermeasure Validation),SKR (Skorpion:
Development and Acquisition of Multifunctional Control-Measurement Device for
Controlling the Environment of Scientific Experiments Inside a Pressurized
Station),SPC (Soluble Protein Crystallization: Obtaining Crystals of
Soluble Proteins FcgIII and FcgeII with a Perfect Crystal
Structure),Subregional_Bone (Subregional Assessment of Bone Loss in the
Axial Skeleton in Long-term Space Flight),Tenzor (Definition of Dynamic
Characteristics of
ISS),Uragan (Hurricane: Experimental Development
of Groundbased System of Monitoring and Predicting the Progression of a
Naturally Occurring Technogenic Catastrophe),Vektor-T (Study of a High
Precision System for Prediction Motion of
ISS),Vzglyad (Photographing the Interior of
ISS),Xenon1 (Effect of Microgravity on the
Peripheral Subcutaneous Veno-Arteriolar Reflex in Humans),ZCG (Zeolite
Crystal Growth).